


Five Days To Earth

by Subatomic_grape



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Families of Choice, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-29
Updated: 2012-04-29
Packaged: 2017-11-04 13:07:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/394217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Subatomic_grape/pseuds/Subatomic_grape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>J'onn is not certain what to make of the stowaway on his ship, while M'gann doesn't know how to approach the hero of Mars.  Neither fit the image their society has shaped for them, leaving them with a lot to learn en route to Earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Days To Earth

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Young Justice Anonymous Meme on LJ. I own nothing, and hope you enjoy. Thank you for reading.

J’onn’s first clue of a stowaway was not a subtle one. It came when the ship was two days out from Mars, and arrived with a loud crash from the cargo hold. Followed fast by a stream of _ohnonotgoodnotgood,_ flooding the silence immediately afterwards. The thought was sharp with panic before suddenly cutting off when he turned his attention to it, and whoever was thinking it realized that he was listening in.

By then he had already put the ship in auto-pilot, and cautiously moved to his feet. It wasn’t far to the hold of the ship, and he was already going through a mental tally of what was stored in there that could be used for cover, or attacking…Or if whoever was in there was even hostile. He could just pick out a psychic signature, although muffled, as the one radiating it tried to remain muted and unnoticed.

Not that the clunks coming from the cargo room helped much with that. When the door melted open and the lights eased on, he saw that a stack of containers and crates had been strewn across the floor. Some of them were already floating upwards and hurriedly stacking themselves back in order, explaining the noise. As his gaze flickered across the debris floating in the air and down to ground, J’onn saw the person responsible for both the damage, and for the hurried repair work.

She flinched when the lights went on, and started for a hiding place that J’onn could pick out, between the crates and the far wall. (He made a mental note to double check that place the next time he set out from Mars) But when she noticed J’onn’s shadow on the floor, she froze in place. Those supplies she had been levitating clattered back to the ground, and a few of them back into place on the shelves, while she turned to look at him.

“H-hello.” She managed, cautiously watching him from a curtain of red hair. That alone was odd, as was the way she brushed it out of her face in a very human gesture. He also noticed that she chose to speak with words, instead of thoughts. Her eyes were tinted brown, watching him nervously as she clasped a pair of green hands in front of her chest.

The fact that she didn’t look hostile (and perhaps slightly shy and embarrassed at being found) helped J’onn relax. His hands eased back out from being fists, and the muscles that had been building in his arms eased back out and stopped crowding together. The lack of threat didn’t stop his confusion that there was someone else on his ship, however.

_“What…Are you doing here?”_ Of all the possible questions, he settled for that one first, falling into mind to mind contact…Or at least, his mind pressing the question into hers. Her thoughts shrank away from his, and when she responded, it was still with words.

“O-oh. Well…I was planning to go to Earth? Since that’s where you’re headed?” She swallowed as his mouth twisted into a frown, and her hands grasped each other tight enough to go white at the knuckles, as she gathered up the courage for something. A thought brushed lightly against his mind, shaky and tightly measured, with the same tight grip as her hands. _“Please don’t be angry? I just wanted to-“_

That shy nervous knot in her mind hadn’t eased up in the slightest; tense and afraid for even a stowaway. There was also a feeling of something vaguely…Off in her thoughts. Something that was noticeably different from his own, and the minds that he usually came into contact with. Not coached or calm, and not tranquil either. More like a thin sheet of control, stretched tight over something…Raw, and intense, in a way that was almost a mind searing-

_White._

That was when it clicked into place, and the hand that had been slack at his side snapped back into a fist as he stepped back.

_“That is not what you are.”_

He expected her to drop the disguise, then. Perhaps throw some of those crates at him if her mind was strong enough; close with him hand to hand if it wasn’t. What J’onn didn’t expect was for her to shrink back, eyes wide as he picked out that thread of _not right_ in her thoughts. The only resistance he did get was when she pushed mentally against him, desperate to get him out of her head and away from that secret…Before her thoughts suddenly went slack as the fight went out of her. She didn’t quite crumble to the floor, but her shoulders went slack along with her thoughts, and a crushing feeling of disappointment and terror fell down around him-

He blinked, as he felt that again. It was a solid, palpable force of fear, not anger. And the way she kept clasping her hands in a timid, uncertain gesture was far from anything that could be seen as aggressive. It didn’t fit the usual image of a warlike white.

_“I don’t-“_ Her thoughts scurried around under his focus, unorganized. She watched him, still wide eyed and tense, but more like she was waiting for him to attack instead. _“I’m not here to fight, or cause trouble, I promise. That’s not who I am-”_ Desperation, drowning out what was left of the order in her thoughts as she ducked her head. J’onn thought that he could hear her heart pounding from across the room.

_“…I’m not like that.”_

He coached his own thoughts into something calmer, and slowly let his hand drop, and relax. The stowaway cringed at the movement, clearly expecting something else, and J’onn bit back a sick feeling trying to settle in the back of his throat. He wasn’t certain he wanted to know why she was acting like that, or what she was expecting him to do…But the situation didn’t allow him to remain ignorant.

“…Come with me, back to the bridge.” He said at last, turning slightly towards the door, letting his eyes expand ever so slightly enough so he could just watch her from the corner of his vision. If anything, she looked ready to lunge **away** from him instead of at him…And still she didn’t disobey, or attack. Her feet remained stuck to the floor the entire walk back, and from the few times he glanced back (remembering to relax his eyes back to normal proportions) her eyes were also fixed downward.

When they reached the bridge, she still hadn’t looked back up at him, but her thoughts appeared to have finally grasped onto that calmness he kept trying to offer her.

“How could you tell?” Although she still stuck with using her voice, quiet as it was. “I’d…Been practicing. And I thought I was improving.”

_“Your presence is nearly convincing. But there are inconsistencies.”_ Not quite praise, but not a lie, either. _“However, that is not what is most pressing.”_ He motioned for her to sit, which she did so, gingerly. She whispered for the belts to wrap around her in a harness without even waiting for J’onn to give the command, watching the stars moving by, beyond the ship.

_“Any minute now…”_ He caught that small whisper, likely meant for just her, but without the focus to keep it private. And along with that, a defeated, sinking feeling as she waited to see the stars blur in the other direction, as the ship turned around.

Instead, he muttered for the ship to remain on course. A private, mental command would have worked just as well…But he found himself hoping that she would overhear that.

It was clear she had, once her head jerked back up, and she spun the seat around to look at him.

“You’re still going to Earth!? Really?” Her thoughts lost that nervous, almost fragile sensation, as she beamed at him with all of her teeth showing. Not in aggression, but in joy.

“For the time being, yes. Given that we are already two days out…Going back would be difficult, and I have a duty to the League.” Which was as much a factor as anything else. “I still wish to hear an explanation from you, but we have time for that.” At her confused blink, he continued. “Even in a fast ship, it takes five days to reach Earth.”

“So…That’s still three days.” The smile on her face slipped a little, although not completely vanishing.

_“You probably would have found me before then, anyway.”_ He didn’t think that thought was meant for him either, but J’onn still gave a nod. “It should be time to determine why you wish to go to Earth.”

_‘And if you should be allowed on Earth.’_ J’onn left that thought private. “But first, I believe learning who you are takes precedence.”

“You want to hear about me?” The blink and double take the white martian gave him that time was nothing short of astonished. And a confused, mental nudge against his mind to make sure she had heard him correctly. Not that her expression changed all that much when he gave a quiet affirmative; still surprised, and still a touch hesitant.

“I-I mean, alright. My name is M’gann.” She offered, watching him. “And…I am…” Her eyes dropped away, focusing back on the floor as her mouth tried, and failed, to work.

“…Not green. Like you saw.” She finally managed, far, far quieter then how she’d started.

“You may switch to telepathy, if that would help.” He found himself offering.

_“It wouldn’t-“_ Her mental voice was just as hushed…But J’onn could pick up the choked quality of her words far more clearly.

He let his breath out slowly, hoping it did not sound too much like a sigh, or exasperated.

“Perhaps you would benefit from some rest, first. I realize it has reached a late hour.” The stowaway looked up long enough to give him a nod, and what he thought was a flash of relief across her face.

Again, he found himself noting that wasn’t the usual thing that came to mind when it came to the whites on Mars.

-o-o-o-

_“Thank you.”_ M’gann worked up enough confidence to send those words out to him. She could feel her thoughts slowing down from that fevered pace they’d locked into, or not knowing how to properly articulate after all that had happened…All of that began to ease when she realized he was giving her time to calm down, and think about how to explain.

_“And, I’m sorry…”_ Because a part of her wanted to be confident and open with him; it wasn’t like she had anything to hide, after what he’d found. (Although thinking back on that still made her body tense back up into tight, nervous knots of muscle. And also made her want to curl up over being discovered so quickly.) She tried to send a slight impression of that to him…But from how his face remained fixed ahead, she had to wonder if he’d simply absorbed or deflected it without much thought.

_“As I said, you are tired; try sleeping, first.”_ J’onn J’onnz, the Martian Manhunter, did not glance back at her when he said that. But he also didn’t look down on her, or turn aside his gaze in a way that said she was beneath his notice.

If anything, he looked…Almost uncertain, and she thought that she could just feel a touch of the same in his mind. Cautious, carefully measured thoughts that were controlled so that none of them would go astray or be a misstep. Like someone picking their way through a dark passage.

That uncertainty wasn’t quite what she imagined, when she thought of the hero of Mars. M’gann let the chair she was in slowly melt down and reform into a bed to sleep on. She tried to settle into place, and into a comfortable position…Although having an open air bed felt strange. It was not quite the same as the sleeping pods and chambers in Mars-

_’But maybe that’s a good thing to get used to. Earth doesn’t have any of those.’_ And that might have been for the best; it could have lacked a lot of other things that Mars had.

M’gann put her head down, resting it in the fold of her arm as she looked across the ship’s cabin. J’onn hadn’t put his hands back on the ship controls, or done anything to suggest that they were changing course. She still had her chance at Earth, which made her heart accelerate in a completely different way from being discovered. M’gann’s sides rose and fell as she reminded herself to take deep breaths; she wasn’t going to cut in on that chance at Earth any further by disobeying when she was told to go to sleep, and she needed a much calmer mind and pulse for that to happen.

_‘Just continue to breathe.’_ She murmured to herself. _‘Breathe, and think calmly about where you’re going.’_

And not what she was running from; what she was hopefully leaving far, far behind. M’gann curled up, settling deeper into the bed as she tried to imagine blue instead of red.

-o-o-o-

“H’ara, alonz…?” A soft voice cut into his trance, and J’onn lifted his head up to glance around. The stowaway was curled up on the makeshift bed in a tight ball, muttering to herself. Her sides rose and fell in a way that suggested deep sleep…Although perhaps not a peaceful rest, judging by how her eyes were screwed tightly shut.

She’d fallen half-asleep by the time he got back from managing the mess in the cargo hold; it hadn’t been as bad as J’onn had originally thought, with most of the boxes already pushed aside or back into place by the time he found the stowaway. Her mind appeared sharp, at least when it came to telekinesis-

_“Alone?”_ And decent at telepathy. The thought itself was small, almost pitiful in the way it was whispered, and the girl didn’t seem to even know it had slipped from her mind to his; but it also had a strong force behind it, like a tiny but densely weighted ball suddenly dropped into his hand. And fast on the heels of that thought was a sharp, emotional pang that tried to burrow deep into his chest.

J’onn held the emotion in check, not letting it dig in too deeply. But he also didn’t push the thought or sensation fully out of his mind, focusing on it and waiting to see if any answers would come to him from that thin mental thread now stretched between them.

He only had time to draw breath before he picked up something else from the girl. Not thoughts, but images that floated in the back of his mind, waiting for him to focus on them. The stowaway gave another mumble as he shifted his thoughts around to properly view what was playing out in her dreams.

Images of a crowd of green, and being a single, lonely presence in the middle of it. Learning to step aside quickly if she didn’t want to be crushed underfoot…And to not stand too tall if she wished to avoid being hammered back down.

Her dreams shifted to a sense of belonging, for the briefest instant; a cheer from so many watching her, proclaiming that she was something worthy of them. Worthy of Mars-

Then a sharp mental bite, as that image fell away, was peeled away from her the same way her green skin was pulled off. Leaving ugly, eyesore white in its place. And the roar of approval vanished, replaced with a cold, chilling isolation.

Not worthy. Not with her people’s history of violence and brutality, so unlike a true civilization. Not even on the same level as the rest of them…Secondary, and a sub-lifeform.

_“Alone…”_

She shivered as that green skin she wore rippled for a moment, before settling again as her breath came out in muffled sob. Her fingers dug into her palms, as if she could force that form to stay rooted by hanging on tight enough.

The crowd in her mind went from massive and encompassing to pressing, claustrophobic. Her breath came out raggedly from the tight, almost suffocating sensation…And then gasping as the muscles in her legs twitched, and the sensation of running flickered across J’onn’s mind. Running from those harsh looks, and cruel words that both bit and stung against her ears and skin…Forcing her to move faster, tripping and falling forwards-

Then curled away, somewhere dark and out of sight, hiding, shivering and not wanting to be noticed again. Then finally pulling herself back up, and letting a cool sensation roll over her skin as her flesh darkened from white to green again.

He felt her dread wash over him, which she tried to keep muted as she moved through the crowd; not one of them, but also not the object of their scorn. Still moving as quickly as she could, but not blindly running; trying to reach for something different, tinted a welcoming blue instead of a harsh red. 

Reaching…

The console in front of him gave a soft chime, telling J’onn that the ship had entered into the third leg of the journey. He glanced down at it, and those images evaporated from his mind. The link flickered for a moment, but remained…As did that sharp feeling still trying to bite at his chest. She wanted to belong. This white martian girl-

_“She has a name.”_ J’onn reminded himself. And she didn’t dream of violence or bloodshed. Not that what he sensed was much better…Or was something he would willingly wish upon her.

He sent a slight, whisper of a thought into her dreams, as soft as the hand he put on her head to smooth out her hair. _“M’gann.”_ He felt her stir for a moment, before going still. _“Be calm; you are safe here.”_ J’onn rested his hand on her forehead, and felt her slowly relax, as her breathing evened out.

Her thoughts settled into something calmer; no images, just a deep, dreamless state. But it helped, and she settled into a calmer position with another mumble; this time not sounding tense, or worried.

_“Sleep peacefully, M’gann.”_ He said again, before lifting his hand and going back to his meditation.

-o-o-o-

_“Three days away from Mars.”_ Was M’gann’s first thought as her eyes opened. Followed by _“This isn’t the cargo hold!”_ as she looked around the main room of the ship, her pulse speeding up and her hands curling into fists. But when she saw J’onn J’onnz, seated and just glancing at her with a polite nod, the rest of her thoughts caught up.

_“He knows I’m here. And he’s…”_ Maybe not okay with it, but he hadn’t turned the ship around. Hadn’t even been all that hostile with her, past that first encounter. As she gave a nod back, M’gann allowed herself a closer, more careful look at him.

His thoughts were more collected now, although with that same carefully handled weight and control from before. It felt strange that even after a night’s rest, he still didn’t seem like a complete fit to what she’d imagined.

…Or what felt too hopeful to imagine, perhaps. It was one thing to hear about some on Mars being against the treatment of those like her. It was another thing entirely to see that the hero of Mars…At least the hero of those on Mars who were of higher quality, to see him have similar views. Or at least lack that open disdain.

“Was your night restful?” His voice was level as he spoke, still without any trace of contempt, and she managed a nod with very little shaking. “Then in that case, are you prepared to speak more thoroughly?” That time, her nod was far more shaky…But she still managed.

“I…I think so.” She murmured, sitting fully upright as the bed shaped itself back into a chair. M’gann turned in it to fully face J’onn, reminding herself to breathe steady.

“We will start with a different question; why are you so invested in going to Earth?” She also reminded herself to answer honestly; he’d been tolerant so far, and she didn’t want to ruin that through lying. There was also the fact that his new question wasn’t quite so awkward to think about, or express. 

“I…I saw the broadcasts you sent from Earth.” Or at least not so awkward past a little bit of stammering as she tried to get her tongue back up to the same speed as her thoughts.

“Actually, more then just saw; I watched them as often as I could. Earth…Sounds amazing. Everything I heard and saw about it was incredible. I…Loved it.”

A deep breath, and then she nervously cast out a thought to him; J’onn didn’t even pause, instantly picking it up…And she couldn’t help but wonder if he had been waiting for her to get the confidence to speak through something other then words.

She tried not to disappoint him, sending those sensations of curiosity and wonder that had sunk in deep with that first broadcast. As he nodded, she tried to press a little further, make that emotion clear.

_A vivid image of something beautiful and blue. The people living there, so like and unlike what she knew. How watching them eased the latest hurt she’d faced…And how she slowly started practicing, honing, until she could pass for something close to human, learning the mannerisms…Finding them more agreeable then what she’d experienced on Mars._

M’gann let the image slowly bleed back out, into the background hum of the ship as her eyes refocused on the cabin.

“All of was wonderful to just watch.” J’onn watched her carefully, and she got the impression that he was still absorbing the last traces of that image; and somehow that he was trying to integrate it with something. What, she couldn’t guess before he spoke.

“…And it also lacked any feeling of isolation?” Her thoughts snapped back into that tight, confused ball from before as she stared at him.

_“You dream vividly.”_ J’onn offered that as an explanation, before blinking at the pink color spreading across her cheeks. Not quite staring, but clearly noticing the change of color and puzzling over it. Blushing wasn’t a gesture that often happened on Mars, but it felt right in this form. Better then projecting all that embarrassment she could feel clawing at the back of her head.

“Y-yes. That too. And I wanted to see all of that for myself. So when I realized I might have a chance while you were on Mars, I left for your ship as soon as I had the chance.” She could remember sneaking out of her home the evening she made the choice, carefully picking her way towards the hanger where his ship was. How cold the air was in the shadows she stuck to when she had the chance, and how she ducked her head and stayed insignificant whenever she had to leave them; one thing she had learned on Mars, at least, was how to escape attention and notice when she had to.

“All without giving any word to your family?” J’onn remarked, and she could just feel a light touch as his thoughts pulled away from that memory. If it was possible, her cheeks went even warmer and brighter.

“Well…Sort of? I have twelve other sisters, so I’m not sure if they’d really notice I was gone.” J’onn gave her a slightly severe, slightly unimpressed look at that answer. She wasn’t quite certain how he managed it, but it seemed to have something to do with how flat he was able to make his gaze. It had the effect of getting her to continue, though.

“…Okay. I did run away. But-“

_“…I wanted to have a chance at something different.”_ She finally admitted, trusting her thoughts more then any spoken words. And again, projecting that intense feeling of longing and _love_ for what Earth could be.

J’onn said nothing in response to that, save for dipping his head in thought. And, M’gann noticed with another flicker of relief, keeping the ship on course.

-o-o-o-

The second night M’gann slept at the front of the ship, and the third night to Earth, her dreams were tinted blue. J’onn didn’t have a clear notion on how someone who had never been to Earth could have such an accurate picture and pattern of the ocean, but she still managed. Her breathing was steady, her thoughts calm and rhythmic. _“Earth.”_ She sighed in contentment. _“Earth is near.”_

Her dreams had lost that almost feverish pitch to them, save for a rusty and harsh red tinge at the very edges of her thoughts; nightmares that might have seeped into her subconscious at another time, if she had been under more stress.

Tonight, however, M’gann rested easy…And deeply. J’onn noticed that she had collapsed quickly into total sleep, the way someone who had been without a good rest tended to. And that made him wonder if she had been forcing herself awake for the first leg of the trip, to keep from accidentally alerting him with her dreams.

That could easily explain why she had that crash and accident in the cargo hold, and J’onn frowned as he looked back on it. It made a definite amount of sense…But he didn’t like the idea of her forgoing sleep purely out of fear.

Another gentle touch and tinge of blue interrupted that thought, and it was comforting to know that those worries weren’t plaguing her now. 

Her dreams shifted again, losing that steadiness. J’onn felt his hand tense up into a fist for a moment…But it relaxed again as that thread from her dreams stayed mostly calm. She wasn’t dreaming just in blue, but any tenseness stayed confined to the back of her mind. He could just pick out that sensation of belonging again, but without the fear of it suddenly being taken away from her. The faces flickering around the edges of his thoughts had a definite human shape to them, and M’gann relaxed as they flooded into her dream.

Her feet twitched at the edge of the bed, followed by the sensation of her moving again. But not running _from_ everything that time, instead pushing herself towards something instead.

_“Earth.”_ The thought sighed out again, with another gentle wash of blue.

-o-o-o-

“What will it be like?” M’gann asked once she felt fully awake. There had been a blissfully long moment when she’d first opened her eyes, and had her first glimpse of Earth outside. It was only a blue and white globe the size of her thumb, if that, but it was still clearly Earth. J’onn also hadn’t started that morning with any questions, so she decided to take the chance and voice a few of her own. “Does it feel different, living mostly on the surface instead of mostly underground? What about how the food tastes? Or being under the sky so much?”

She forced herself to pause with just those, and waited for J’onn to answer. When he did, his voice was slow and measured.

“It is different…Very different from Mars, in some ways.” She felt her lips already lifting up in a smile, and let her body float up with the motion. It was only when she looked back that she realized J’onn was still grounded, and that his expression was still fixed into slight frown. That made her body feel a little heavier, and her toes just touch the ground.

“It is not necessarily in the way you might think; the basic way things work on Earth is not the same. In many ways, it is far more lonely there. You may find the isolation and change to be difficult…Crushing to work through.”

_“It doesn’t sound that different.”_ Her breath came out in a sharp hiss as that thought drifted between them, and she scrabbled in vain to hold it in. When he lifted his head up to look right at M’gann, however, that was a clear sign she hadn’t managed to keep her thoughts quiet. His expression was still somber, still trained on her.

_“…Perhaps it would not be very different, for you.”_ And his thoughts…She had always thought that hers were the only ones that had that sometimes had that slightly scarred, almost fragile quality. Which was ALSO something she’d never associated with the hero of Mars; he was supposed to be strong and powerful, at least in her imagination.

M’gann managed another stiff nod, and also could just whisper “It sounds almost the same.” And suddenly she did not want to meet that almost pained (another thing she’d never, ever imagined when she thought of J’onn J’onnz) and concerned look on his face. Past that there was only the quiet humming of the ship.

“You are shy about speaking mind to mind.” A statement, not a question, and a sudden change in the conversation. J’onn still used it to fill the silence growing between them, and spoke frankly.

“N-no. It’s not always like this.” Which in turn made M’gann feel at least a little more honest. “It’s just that…You picked out things I didn’t really want to share, right away. Back at home, I used telepathy with my family all the time.”

“Ah…” That seemed to leave him satisfied, as he sat back. “I was uncertain why you are talented in such eloquence, but that helps explain.”

M’gann started at that, wondering if she’d even heard correctly; that had sounded like a compliment, though. A slightly halting one, but still praise.

_“You really mean that?”_ She let that thought slip out as she exhaled. And let her mind relax enough to let a trace more then just words slip through; tentative curiosity, and just reaching enough to reestablish that contact she’d left on Mars.

_“Completely. You are gifted, M’gann.”_ Followed by a touch of emotion that was almost like a hand on her shoulder; steady, calm and reassuring.

In another breath, this time drawing it into her lungs, M’gann let down those barriers, and allowed her thoughts to flow out freely again.

_“Missed this,”_ she admitted, allowing the relief to flow over to him with her thoughts. Even for a few days, it had felt almost suffocating. _“Thank you.”_

-o-o-o-

J’onn felt his own thoughts start to relax, once M’gann was coaxed into opening up her mind. It was comforting to have another to speak directly with, even four days out from Mars. And not just that, but also what he was starting to pick out from her mind; that raw, emotional quality was still instilled deep in all of her thoughts, but there was never anything violent that he could pick up. For that matter, nearly everything M’gann did lacked the usual violent, base image associated so often with the white martians. She didn’t seem like she could be capable of causing ruin on Mars, with how her thoughts kept chirping whenever she thought of Earth.

There was that brief feeling of unease settling near the front of his forehead at her eagerness, though. That willingness to chase after something that might not even exist…And how it might crush her if it wasn’t what she’d dreamed of.

_‘Compared to what she already experienced?’_ He kept that thought to himself, the same way he coached his face into something neutral instead of the frown it wanted to take. Her dreams were still vivid in his mind, as was that harsh thought of hers, that it would be hard to match the isolation and rejection on Mars.

Before, he had been able to spend a few moments wondering about that common perception that white martians were too primitive to feel much in the way of high concepts or emotions. Watching the one in his ship now, it had gone from idle wonder to complete doubt. And the beginnings of a decision, starting to take root in his thoughts.

But first, there was that matter of what she believed.

“Television…Does not offer a complete picture of life on Earth.” He tried to speak gently, although from the way her expression fell J’onn doubted his success. “It would be prudent to study from more then just that, before fully integrating.”

“Could you…Teach me, maybe?” She offered carefully.

“I could,” he began, and the smile that spread across her face at that one simple acknowledgment was almost painful. And settled him into something more decisive. “I could also make you an apprentice; that is also a common tradition on Earth. Although I believe the correct term may be…A ‘side kick.’”

“Side kick?” M’gann repeated the word, testing it out and narrowing her eyes. _“I think…I like ‘apprentice’ better, if that’s alright.”_

“More then alright.” That time, he was certain he had the proper gentle tone, from how she relaxed and gave him another warm smile.

_“You know,”_ he found himself adding, now that her smile was back in place. _“I neglected to mention it, but it will be early summer when we arrive. The heat takes some getting used to, but I believe you may like that season.”_

She leaned forward in her seat at that, and there was that hint of _“please tell me more”_ rushing eagerly out of her mind. J’onn did his best to oblige.

_“The sky is incredibly bright this time of the year, and a match for that blue color you enjoy…”_

-o-o-o-

The fourth evening M’gann watched J’onn fall into his trance, but found herself too wired and eager to convince herself to try sleeping. Or even meditating, like he did. And while he stared off into empty air, eyes glowing, M’gann floated between the two sides of the ship cabin, still glancing back at Earth.

Really, how could she sleep, knowing that it was hanging in front of the ship? Even when she could close her eyes, she couldn’t relax for long, before that familiar, giddy feeling crept back into her.

Although eventually, she started to lose her focus on that as well. Her thoughts were still racing around in tight, eager circles, and it was all she could do to keep a firm grip on them so they didn’t bother J’onn.

It was still difficult being left alone with them, however. And M’gann wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with those emotions…At least until she glanced back to the front of the ship, and drifted towards one of the control panels, placed just in front of the main window.

It was more nuanced then the interface she was used to, but M’gann found herself adapting. A lot of the commands were still similar, and with a moment of concentration she could get the buttons to understand her, even if she didn’t always push the right ones. A few minutes, enough for her to have and dismiss the thoughts on if she should even be doing this, and M’gann managed call up a display screen to find the data archives-

And she had to bite down on a finger to keep from squeaking (OR from mentally cheering and radiating that fast paced warmth settling in her chest) when she saw that the broadcasts from Earth were all stored away in a corner of the ship’s data. From there it was easy to tell the screen what to play…And to remember just in time to order the volume to be set down low, so the opening bell ring and jingle wouldn’t cut into J’onn’s meditation.

She couldn’t keep from humming along as the opening music played, though. The first few ‘ooohs’ and ‘Hello Megans’ were something she’d memorized the first time she saw the show; watching it as often as she did, M’gann knew the rest of the song by heart. And as she watched the credits and characters all make their appearance, M’gann felt some of that nervous energy start to settle back down into something more steady and manageable.

Enough that she felt her eyes focusing more on the show then on the blue planet still hovering behind it. M’gann narrowed her eyes a little as she watched the girl on screen, wondering if there was something she still hadn’t quiet mastered when it came to how she looked-

“That would go a long way to explaining your appearance.” A low voice cut into her concentration, and the screen flickered out as M’gann bolted up to her feet. J’onn stood behind her, and she realized with an unhappy twist in her stomach that he’d managed to wake up and drift over to where she sat without M’gann ever noticing.

_“I-I’m sorry; I didn’t know you were awake.”_ A hand rested on her shoulder in response to that.

_“I wasn’t. But hearing someone sing ‘the girl for me, the girl for you’ and ‘hello Megan’ several times has a way of cutting in on one’s concentration. Even when the one singing tries to be quiet about it.”_ His thoughts didn’t have any trace of annoyance in them, though; she thought that for a moment she could almost hear a chuckle…Although that could have just been a side effect from how hard her blood was pounding in her ears.

_“I still didn’t mean to. I was just…Looking for a way to relax. I didn’t want to bother you about it, though.”_ J’onn shook his head as he listened, his presence as steady as that hand still resting on her.

_“It is alright.”_ A pause, before he added, _“I admit, that is not a program I watched much on Earth…What is it you like about it?”_

M’gann couldn’t keep the smile from flashing back across her face then, as she quickly gathered up the left over buzz of light and warm feelings from watching just the opening, and tried her best to form them into something she could share. How happy everyone always was on that show, the energy she got from humming the song, the closeness of her name with Megan-

_“That is why you chose this form, instead of your natural one?”_ Those feelings sputtered out at that question, but M’gann forced herself to nod, and to be open with her thoughts.

_“Part of it; I’ve had a lot of chances to practice that shape. And I like being a different M’gann. It feels more like who I want to be.”_

A pause, as J’onn watched her with an oddly…Soft look settling in the corners of his eyes.

“You do not find the changes between bodies difficult?”

“A little,” she replied, quietly. _“But…I feel better when I’m like this.”_ And her problems didn’t feel so close or crushing when she borrowed what Megan looked like. _“It’s more comfortable. And having to make a few adjustments is a pretty small demand for that.”_

From the way J’onn looked at her, M’gann was worried if that had been too much to share.

“What part of it were you watching?” He asked instead.

“A-ah, episode five. That’s the one where Megan finds out Conner took a part time job at an ice cream café, and decides to go there in disguise to try and surprise him by figuring out what his favorite flavor is. It’s one of my favorites…” She paused as J’onn moved towards where the screen had been. She didn’t have time to dwell on that odd, slightly lonely feeling settling in her chest when he took his hand from her shoulder; not when he motioned for another seat to form next to hers, and pulled the screen back up with his other hand.

“You will be going to sleep after this.” There was a slight, stern touch in his voice at that, but it vanished as he motioned for her to sit down in the other chair as he took his own seat nearby. M’gann needed no second prompting.

-o-o-o-

“You are nervous?”

“And excited.” M’gann said with a nod, fingers twining together as she watched the growing blue half circle in the window. Earth was still a day’s travel away, but she thought she could see it slowly moving closer with each minute. “Earth sounds amazing, and new _and_ exciting. I just…I hope that I can fit in there, too. As well as you can.”

And find something different from life on Mars, although she didn’t say that out loud. To make up for keeping that thought to herself, she allowed a different one to slip between them.

_“I want to be…”_ she wasn’t sure about using the term ‘accepted,’ but was able to send him an image from his Earth broadcasts; of him being with the League. Being part of something more then just a single person. _“I hope I can be in something like that. Be…Be good enough for something like that.”_

And if she wasn’t…Then what? Would she be sent back to Mars anyway? Or would she even want to remain on Earth, if she couldn’t even find that sense of comrades and friends there?

She could feel a slight ball of nervousness settle into her chest at that thought, similar to what J’onn had guessed at, and it made her smile waver. The other martian was watching her carefully, and when her expression flickered, seeing that seemed to settle something in his mind. He stood up and moved deliberately towards the wall behind the pilot seat, motioning for it to open a small chamber. He reached in, taking something out with an odd, crinkling sound.

When he turned to face her, M’gann wasn’t anymore clear on what it could be; certainly not anything from Mars, going by that odd, plastic covering and the bright colors and letters stamped on the front.

“What…Is that?” Her eyes stayed fixed on that odd, blue and pink bag he was holding. And that enticing, slightly dry, slightly creamy smell that she could just pick out from behind the wrapping.

“I thought that it would be wise to enjoy a proper Earth treat, before landing on the planet.” A pause as he cleared his throat in what seemed…Almost like an awkward gesture, although M’gann had never thought that something like that could ever be applied to J’onn J’onzz. “I…Keep a supply on hand for such occasions. Sharing them would be nice, I feel.”

When he sat down next to her, M’gann could finally make out the words “Choco Cookies” printed in large white letters before J’onn methodically tore open the bag.

The scent that tickled her nose intensified once the bag was open; still curiously dry, but it made her mouth water and she reminded herself to swallow as J’onn fished something out of the bag and handed it to her. As M’gann watched, she could remember seeing a similar type of cookie on the TV shows. And that they’d played a large role in episode seventeen of Hello, Megan! to the point she wanted to try them herself. When she took the offered treat, it didn’t look quite the same as what she’d seen on TV; there was even a brief moment when she thought it was burnt, looking at the color. Taste wise, however…Once she bit into it, M’gann could easily understand the appeal of the snack on Earth.

She wasn’t fully sure what she was feeling after that first cookie, (before she moved onto her second. And then a third) but nervousness no longer entered into it.

-o-o-o-

J’onn felt slightly depressed that the bag of Chocos had only lasted half as long as usual…Perhaps even less then that, given that M’gann proved to have an equal love for them. (But that, at least, was the last bit of decisive proof he needed that she was a sweet and upstanding child.) Still, it was mitigated in how much M’gann had enjoyed them, and that she was now relaxing back in her seat with a calmer expression.

He cleared his throat once he was certain she was completely relaxed, and she lifted her head back up to look at him.

“It occurs to me, that I do not know what your identity on Earth will be.” A brief press of confusion against his thoughts from her, so he continued. “I have been the only representative of Mars for decades now. People will want to know more about you, and you should have some form of answers ready.”

“Well…I was thinking I would go with Megan for a name? And I thought it would be better if I stayed looking mostly like this.” She gestured down at herself, and he could feel another brief pang of dissatisfaction from her at that. But more muted than before, and she didn’t dwell on it for long. “I’d…Rather be thought of as green. If you don’t mind.”

“I do not mind. But, you will need more to your identity then just that. An explanation for how you came here.” An oversight…But then, she was only forty-eight. With all that had happened in just the last five years, he could barely recall that time of his life, but it was doubtless full of similar missteps and thinking such things would work themselves out.

He could also hear some dissatisfied buzzing in her thoughts, and disappointment in herself for _not_ thinking through that. He spoke over them, sounding out that plan that had been forming in his head over the past evening.

“Since you will be a second representative on Mars…I feel that it would be prudent to act not only as your mentor, but also as a guardian for you. With all politeness, you are still young.” M’gann nodded at that, still watching him carefully as she absorbed his words.

“Considering my role as both of those, I would be proud…And happy,” he added that with a touch of honesty, both in his voice and in his thoughts. “To count you as an apprentice, and as a niece.”

Slow, dawning realization forming in her mind, as he sent an extra nudge into her thoughts to make sure the idea would stick; a sensation of wanting to take care of her, and make sure that she had something familiar…And hopefully good from Mars while she was on Earth.

He wasn’t quite prepared then she threw herself forward, into his chest with a tiny sob. But he _was_ at least fast enough to catch her, and realize that she was hugging him a second later. “Uncle…Uncle J’onn.” She tested the name out, her voice sounding oddly choked…While mentally he could hear her thoughts singing as a feeling of lightness soaked into her heart and mind. “I- Thank you…Thank you so much. I promise, I’ll be amazing at both; you won’t be disappointed.”

“I never could be.” He answered honestly, before taking M’gann gently by the shoulders and turning her around. “Look outside.”

There was barely a sliver of starry black visible in the windows, as the curve of the Earth closed in across the front of the ship. He could hear M’gann pull in her breath in a sharp gasp, and gave a murmured “Ohmy _gosh,_ ” as she stared out.

“We have a few hours left before entry; enough time for a brief rest.” He gave her shoulder a gentle pat at that, and steered her towards one of the seats. M’gann didn’t protest, still sated on chocos. She turned once she laid her head down on the newly formed bed, however, and watched the Earth until drowsiness over took her.

J’onn sat across from his newly adopted niece, making the last adjustments needed to bring the ship in.

-o-o-o-

M’gann’s first thoughts when she woke up weren’t how close it was to Earth, or how much time was left. Instead, they all revolved around how much the ship was shaking, to the point she almost fell out of her seat before a harness wrapped around her to hold her steady.

The window was darkened as well, showing nothing but a black expanse. When she tore her head around to look at J’onn, saw that his eyes were narrowed in concentration.

_“Reentry is never a pleasant sensation.”_ He murmured, even his thoughts barely audible over the roar building around the ship. _“And I do not enjoy seeing the atmosphere trying to ignite around the ship, in addition to piloting.”_

That was enough to shock her own thoughts into silence, not wanting to interfere with J’onn’s concentration. Although in just another moment, before she had time to wonder if the ship _was_ heating up, M’gann saw him relax and glance up as the shaking died down.

“It does not last long, at least. Here,” at that, the window gave a slight buzz before the darkness stretching across it suddenly lightened and peeled away-

Showing all blue above them, and a broad expanse of green below. The clouds and sky had finally separated from the Earth, and with a little jolt that made her toes curl, M’gann realized that they were actually _in_ the sky instead of just looking down on it. It took every ounce of restraint and control she’d ever learned to stay in her seat instead of bolting to her feet and leaning as far forward as she could to look at it all.

Below them that long expanse of green continued to sway as the wind moved through it. They were dropping in close, close enough that with a bit of focus and shifting the form of her eyes, M’gann could pick out some of the details of the grass. It wasn’t moving from just the wind now, as the ship dropped towards the field and stirred the ground as it passed over.

No people or buildings that she could see…But in a way M’gann was relieved, as she drank in what was below her. It was already enough to take in without adding more then just rocks, sky, and grass.

_“No time left until Earth now.”_ M’gann thought as the ship slowed, and finally touched the ground with a near sigh. Her heart went back up to fluttering as the walls hissed open…And then she couldn’t just see that blue sky from the window, she could **feel** it filling up the ship as well. Incredibly warm, with a wet and fresh taste from all the plants outside. M’gann took several deep breaths of that, eyes shut as she turned to look directly out.

The sunlight was almost painfully bright on her eyes after being in the bio-ship for so long, but M’gann started to adjust them into something easier to see through. And slowly the brightness resolved into being a rectangle of blue, green, and white, which she could just see J’onn standing in front of.

“Are you ready for your first step onto Earth?” J’onn’s voice was gentle…And an almost perfect match for what a hero of Mars should be like, M’gann thought. With a nod, she took his hand and stepped out into the blue planet as M’gann M’orzz, niece of J’onn J’onnz.


End file.
